IU football: Marcelino Ball and 4 other keys to a stronger defense

Career yardage leaders in passing, rushing and receiving for IU football
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Marcelino Ball didn’t disappoint as a freshman in 2016, finishing his first collegiate season with 60 solo tackles, eight pass break-ups, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Then he lost much of last year to injury. ( Jenna Watson/IndyStar)(Photo: Jenna Watson/Indy Star, Jenna Watson/Indy Star)Buy Photo

BLOOMINGTON – Tom Allen realized his goal of building a Big Ten-caliber defense in 2017.

The Hoosiers finished No. 27 nationally in yards allowed per game, and fourth in the Big Ten against the pass, though it still wasn’t enough to land a bowl berth.

Now, Allen faces the not-so-simple task of maintaining that performance through the graduation of eight starters. When eyes turn to Allen’s team during fall camp, some difficult questions will be asked of his defense.

Are last year’s injured ready to shine?

That figure — eight graduated starters — has been hung around Allen’s neck since November, not least in the pages of this publication. But while those eight seniors are certainly gone, the number of starters Allen has to replace was also inflated by health problems last season.

The injury bug sank its teeth into Indiana at the end of the last preseason and never really let go. Defensive end Nile Sykes was lost to a weight-lifting injury before fall camp began. Marcelino Ball, IU’s dynamic hybrid safety/linebacker, injured his knee in Week 3 and never returned. A’Shon Riggins also suffered an early season injury and never really got back to full strength.

Last season’s bad news can be this season’s good news. All three are healthy, and all three will be counted on this fall.

Sykes is possibly Indiana’s best pass rusher, his reintroduction welcome on a line that lost three seniors. Ball is the most obvious heir to Tegray Scales in playmaking ability, though, obviously, not position. With Rashard Fant gone, Riggins might be Indiana’s most-talented cornerback.

In truth, Allen began having to replace injured starters on his defense well before November. Now he gets some back.

Can Ball step into starring role?

IU missed all three of those injured players last season. But with Scales and middle linebacker Chris Covington now in the NFL, the Hoosiers will need the most from Marcelino Ball.

The Atlanta product occupies the husky position, the most versatile on Allen’s defense. He must be strong against the run and the pass, a capable tackler in the open field and athletic enough to make plays of all sorts.

Ball didn’t disappoint as a freshman in 2016, finishing his first collegiate season with 60 solo tackles, eight pass break-ups, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. Then he lost much of last year to injury.

Allen moved Indiana’s husky position into the linebacker meeting room this offseason. Its players had typically met and worked with defensive backs, but Allen needed Ball’s experience there.

Can Roof, Willis strengthen linebacker?

Allen often says he’s never seen a defense without good linebackers. He had ones he liked in spring practice, such as Reakwon Jones and Michael McGinnis. But Roof and Willis each have significantly more experience at the position.

Roof played all last season as a freshman at Georgia Tech, before his father, defensive coordinator Ted Roof, left for North Carolina State. His legislative relief waiver was granted in the days leading up to Big Ten media day.

Willis has 35 career games on his ledger, and more experience than any other linebacker. He was IU’s primary fill-in behind Scales and Covington last season, and started the Foster Farms Bowl two years ago.

Having both available is a significant security blanket for Allen’s defense.

DL ready to control by committee again?

Indiana has registered 69 sacks in the past two seasons, including 36 in just 12 games in 2017. All that, despite never seeing a defensive lineman post more sacks in a single season than Robert McCray’s six last year.

Those numbers are a testament to the strength in depth of Indiana’s defensive line, and to the work of position coach Mark Hagen. With three players (McCray, Nate Hoff and Greg Gooch) graduated, Hagen and the Hoosiers have work to do to keep production up.

Sykes and seniors Jacob Robinson and Michael Barwick anchor the unit at the top. Indiana needs more to fill in around them. That likely means chances for Allen Stallings, Jerome Johnson, Ja’merez Bowen and others to earn snaps. Bowen had a good spring.

Youth being served wouldn’t go amiss here either, with promising freshmen Jonathan King and James Head, an early enrollee, in the mix.

Can athletes bolster secondary?

Indiana loses starters at corner and safety from last season, yet returns veterans such as Riggins, Ball, Jonathan Crawford and Andre Brown to steady its defensive backfield.

What Allen will need is for less-proven players, including a handful of promising freshmen, to step up and provide depth.

There’s tantalizing athletic potential in Reese Taylor, Juwan Burgess and Bryant Fitzgerald. The first is a true freshman, while the other two are redshirts. All could contribute significant snaps this season.

The other potentially important piece heading into the preseason: erstwhile wide receiver Isaac James. The Carmel alum’s athleticism has never been in doubt, but he’s struggled to find a consistent place on the field in Bloomington.

After a strong spring at husky, James looks likely to provide IU cover both there and at corner. He could be a key contributor flexing between multiple positions for the Hoosiers this fall.